Alright, I'm not waiting for another post, I might as well just put up the next chapter. I think that, even though it's a lot of flashbacks, the next chapter is pretty interesting. Along with the other chapters. Chapter 6 is where it begins to explain a lot of things, so I think it will work out well and make it interesting along with having much more fighting.

Chapter 4

Khalen put down the pendant, and closed the drawer, his head hanging down. He walked to the window and looked out to the forest. The night caused the trees to be a dim, shadowy green.

He still couldn’t get those eyes out of his head. Those dreaded, demon eyes. Even in the day, the voice still haunted him.

He put his hand against the wall, hanging his head. He stared at the dark wooden floor, his short brown hair hanging down. The demon’s shadows… I can still see them. Why can I remember all this so vividly? Why am I haunted by these things?


He clutched the pendant in his hand, hate rising up within him. The cheering of the Hylian soldiers stopped, as a dark voice rose up throughout the wet plains. The sky began to darken from some unseen force, and the air seemed to push in from all around them. It seemed to squeeze the life out of them. Khalen couldn’t breath, and as he looked up, he saw a shadow in the distance, with bright, fiery red eyes. All life and movement stopped, except for the blackened grass swaying from the wind.

The dark voice bellowed a nightmarish laugh. Fear stabbed Khalen in the heart, sending it beating painfully fast.

“You have but forestalled your doom. You fools will finally meet your end, and your lives will be mine. I am your master now. Accept that, or accept your slow and painful demise.”
A great boom echoed across the field, and then the darkness from the sky disappeared. The shadow on the horizon sank into the ground, vanishing, and Khalen’s breath returned. His heart raced. He clutched his chest where his heart was, trying uselessly to calm it. His eyes wide with fear, he stared at the ground, breathing heavily.

After he gained control of himself, he looked around at the other soldiers. Some of them were standing, staring off into the distance, entranced, and breathing heavily. Others collapsed onto their knees, and others cowered on the ground.

The Hylian commander pulled himself together and spoke aloud to all the troops.
“Get up men. We must go inside the town and rest. I must… think about what happened here… And all of you must. Do not… do not lose hope because of what happened here. Do not let fear stop you from your goal. But… do not forget that we face a dark and evil enemy. Gather back in the barracks men… the other commanders and the King will discuss what happened here…”

Khalen walked slowly into the town, his face stricken with stress, and collapsed in front of the nearest building, leaning his back upon the gray stone. He sat on the mud, and let his armored legs stretch out on the ground. He breathed deep, let out an exhausted sigh, and closed his eyes.

Images of the battle ran through his mind. He tried to forget the contorted faces and figures of the monsters he cut apart. The creatures he rent with his blade, and the Hylians he saw die. He blotted those images out of his mind, and began to think of more pleasant things. He began to think of his childhood days at Lake Hylia.



He laughed along with his brothers as they play fought each other with toy wood swords and shields. Another brother was in a canoe, fishing relaxingly in the lake.

“Ha! I gotchya!” shouted 12 year old Khalen as he got his brother in the side.

“No, you were cheating!” Yelled Mahrik playfully.

“How can I cheat?” questioned Khalen.

“Yeah I guess you didn’t cheat. Doesn’t mean you aren’t a cheater.” said Mahrik as he nodded his head and stroked a fake beard.

“Alright well shut up already and let’s go again!” said Khalen’s other brother, Aurith.

“Hey look at this!” yelled Tenik across the lake, “This fish is huge!” He held it up in the air for his brothers to see.

Khalen put his hand up to his forehead to block out the sun, and he saw the fish.
“Holy wolf! That is huge!”

As Tenik stood up in his boat, he lost his balance and fell over backwards. Aurith and Mahrik burst out laughing, rolling on the banks of the lake, and Khalen chuckled loudly, still looking at Tenik across the lake.

“I’m fine!” yelled Tenik as he waved to his brothers on the shore.



Khalen’s thoughts drifted to later memories.



“Come on Khalen!” yelled Sheyla as she wandered through the forest.
Khalen, seventeen, walked through the woods, trying to keep thorny branches from scratching him in the face, as they already had.

“Quit being such a slowpoke!” She smiled.

He tried running to catch up, but then tripped on a branch, falling on his face. He spat out a mouthful of dirt. Sheyla laughed at his clumsiness, smiling. He looked up at her, his brown eyes meeting her blue eyes. She was beautiful, Her flowing brown hair going down past her shoulders, surrounding her blue-eyed face with a lovely warmth. Her green forest surrounding just made it seem like a heavenly window through which he was peering. He was entranced by her. As he gazed at her, he was filled with joy.

“Well let’s go already!” She chuckled at him.

He broke out of his dream-like state, and then smiled and got up, running after her.

“What do you want me to see anyway?” Khalen said.

“It’s a surprise.”

She directed him into a clearing with a spring. Khalen looked at the flowing water, and noticed balls pink and blue lights. As he got closer, he saw that they had wings. Fairies… He smiled in wonder.

She smiled, looking at him. “We’re here.”

A fairy flew close to him and touched his nose. Another landed on his shoulder, and he turned his head to look at it. He was suddenly filled with vitality and energy. Joy was all around him.

“It’s… so beautiful…”

“I knew you’d like it!” She said joyfully.

A fairy landed on Sheyla’s head. She looked around smiling as fairies began to land on her shoulders and brown hair. She raised her hands up in the air, and fairies covered her in lights, making her seem like a bright and sparkling queen.

She suddenly jumped up in the air, laughing as fairies flew all around her. Khalen laughed along with her, and she walked over to the spring. She put her hands together, and dipped them in the water.

“Come here…” she said softly to him.

He walked over to her, standing in front of her. She scooped up some water and brought it close to her face, peering into it.

“Look in the water…” she whispered.
Khalen stared at closely at the water, seeing nothing but his rippling reflection. Water suddenly was splashed in his face as Sheyla jumped back laughing. Khalen wiped the cool spring water from his face, surprised.

“Hey, what was that?”

“Nothing…” She said joyfully.

“You’re so strange.”

“I know.” She said, putting her hands behind her back and looking up at the sky innocently.

“So I guess you wouldn’t care if I did something like this?” He said, quickly reaching down and flinging water at Sheyla. She flung water back, laughing. Soon they were soaked in water from splashing each other with the spring water.

“Aww now I’m wet.”

“Yep. Me too. I guess it just happens.”

“You’re as strange as I am!” she said.

She walked close to him, suddenly calm, and hugged him.

“Thank you for being here with me. I’m glad.” She whispered, her head against his chest, smiling.

He lifted her head up and kissed her.

“You’re welcome.” He said, gazing into her eyes.

A fairy flew between them, and Sheyla laughed. The fairy flew off high into the trees, and they both watched it until they couldn’t see it anymore. She hugged him again, and he held her close.

“I love you Khalen.”

“I love you Sheyla. I don’t know what I would do without you.”



Khalen drifted off in his thoughts and memories, and fell asleep.

__________________
James Xyron, another dead user.

Perhaps there is something still alive...
somewhere beneath the decay.